Salvation

Escaping the Valley of Chains

A Flight From the Dark

9

DEC/16

Taegon began this session in a cell situated across from Manora. Manora seemed terrified—she explained to Taegon that they were in a place beyond their ability, and that they would surely be killed if they attempted to escape. Taegon didn't heed her advice, and instead used his abilities as a mystic elf to teleport out of the cell and assault one of the guards. Using the guard's key stone, he helped Manora to escape as well.

In another cell, Tomren and Arnold were helpless to find a way out. They shared their cell with an unconscious man—none other than Moras Graymoon, the druid from the rival team. A death dog watched them like a sentinel, but when Moras awoke, he used his druidic powers to charm the death dog into doing his bidding. He commanded the death dog to get the keys and used them to help Tomren and Arnold escape.

Ubah found himself isolated in a torture chamber with a thin human man. The human man very briefly tried to get Ubah to submit his will, but Ubah instead resisted or ignored the man's requests. After a couple chill touches, the man left Ubah to stew for a few days. When the man had left, Ubah's manacles came undone and dark whispers urged him to help free another slave. He found a felice woman in an isolation chamber, beaten to unconsciousness and completely naked. This woman was Emanaya, and upon being released and brought to consciousness, she revealed herself to be a powerful warlock who agreed to help Ubah find his friends and escape the compound.

After ducking and dodging through the compound, the three groups coalesced into one. They found the armory where their gear was being kept and re-equipped. Arnold found a new lute here and added it to his repertoire. They crossed the outside yard without being detected and made their way toward the terror wing roost. On the way, they had to fight a group of a half dozen slavers. Because they chose to linger and loot the room, the suspicions of the compound rose enough to raise an alarm.

The group hurried on to the roost where they found the terror wings were remarkably well trained animals that allowed everyone to clamber on board. Moras insisted on staying back to buy the group some time. The rest hijacked terror wings and took off toward Dunezar.

Although the group initially felt as if they had found safety, they quickly learned that they were being pursued by none other than Buzum, the Lord of Chains, as well as a retinue of 30 slavers and two kyton, or chain devils. As Taegon, Tomren and Ubah focused on flying the mounts, Manora and Emanaya launched a barrage of attacks. Eventually, Moras caught up wild shaped as a goose, and commandeered a terror wing of his own.

As the group neared Dunezar, the Jungle Watch trained their ballistae onto the oncoming swarm of terror wings. They shot down Ubah and Taegon's terror wings and a large fight broke out in the city.

After a large amount of confusion and chaos, guard captain Zafar Blackgrace was able to slay the Lord of Chains in single combat. Zafar was furious at the group for leading the slavers in full force to Dunezar. He threatened to imprison them, but ultimately let them go if in exchange they handed over their terror birds that the guardsmen may train them and breed them.

Returning to the Hunter's Take guildhall, the group met with Leodolf Roltermann and collected their reward. They were then led to a secret room within the guildhall where they were introduced to the guild's secret benefactor—a naga named Rhyoulis. Rhyoulis explained the true nature of the Hunter's Take guild: it is a guild of capable warriors who Rhyoulis is training so that one day she might have an army to destroy the opha, that the naga might reclaim the jungles of Molentius for themselves.

The heroes each received their Hunter's Marks and bid farewell to Emanaya and Moras. The session ended there.